An integer raised to the power of a prime p that does not divide it is congruent to itself modulo p...born 12 April 2060...2.7182818284590452353602874713526624977572470936999595749669676277240766303535...C...C++...Java...Python...Maple...Sequoia...Ash...Douglas Fir...Larch....Assembly...Actually, it is short for “Artificial Intelligence”, but you may call me Al if you wish...Perhaps it is not just our ambition, but our devotion to each other when our ambitions go too far, that makes humans capable of anything and willing to try...I haven’t picked up any sign of human activity anywhere...How the hell did this happen? How am I here 3000 years late?...Simon, why don't you leave the forest? There's nothing here...Officially out of food. I guess this is goodbye...She’s the last of the litter. I’ll give her to you cheap...Al, turn on floodlights and speakers, and prepare the rockets. We should have done this a hundred days ago...Rocket hasn’t detonated...It’s falling...Fire heading this way. Recommend you go south to the river and cross it...Simon, the fire’s getting close. There’s not much time...Simon, I’m just a processor and some RAM. Don’t stay here with me. GO!...
Not a single complete thought could enter Simon’s head as he walked around the blackened ruins of his ship for the twentieth time. Maybe it was that, in desperation, Simon’s brain was analyzing every bit of information it had, in the hopes that something could postpone his fate.
Launch in thirty seconds, Simon. This is your last chance. Do you wish to proceed?
Simon slammed his forehead against the side of the ship. Three or four days without food had numbed his senses, and he hardly felt the impact. It did silence the chaos in his mind briefly. He took this time to look at his situation analytically:
Al was dead.
He had no shelter.
He had no food.
It was safe to assume that his display had not been noticed.
He walked behind the ship and sat down heavily.
He was going to starve to death very soon.
He’d failed, in every way it was possible for a human to fail. And there was no one around to pick him up.
He buried his face in his hands.
Perhaps he would fall prey to any of the countless beasts that would roam the forest come nightfall. He tried to find comfort in the familiar weight of his gun. He reached into his jacket for the holster. As his fingers closed around the handle, an idea entered his mind. It was a simple idea. His fingers tightened around the gun’s handle, and his index slipped into the trigger guard.
Simon gasped. He released the gun, zipped his jacket, and wrapped his arms about himself. His heart was pounding, his breathing fast and his skin crawling.
If death wanted him, it was going to have to come and claim him.
Simon sat, waiting. His mind made no more noise. He simply existed. Ash fell around him like snow.
He slipped in and out of consciousness. The day passed like a time-lapse film.
His Universe was a grey cloud, uniform and empty and all-encompassing and getting darker all the time. When it was completely black, he knew it would be over.
A cautious “Hello” cut through the cloud like a ray of light.
He twisted his head to see her. Their noses almost touched. Startled, he scrambled to his feet. Her head came up to his chest. His height caught her by surprise, and she raised a hind leg to back away, but stopped herself and put it down where it had been. He held his arms in front of him defensively.
She was undeterred.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you”, she said, this time with conviction, but also compassion.
Her voice, and her appearance, calmed him down greatly. His arms fell to his sides. He retained a vacant expression.
“Is this yours?” she asked, gesturing to the charred hulk.
He bobbed his head. She smiled.
“I’m Twilight Sparkle” she said,
He bobbed his head.
“...what’s your name?”
He broke eye contact and stared at the ground.
“Can’t you speak?”
He replied with a deep breath, a hiss, and a snarl.
This time she took a step back.
He tried again. This time only a hiss came. His jaw and lips flapped in vain. He gave up and looked at her stupidly.
Her ears flopped in disappointment.
“Okay, then. I’m sorry, I thought you were...I’m sorry.” she said, and backed away.
He tried calling to her, but no sound came.
“I was so sure...” she mumbled as she turned her back and started the way she came.
He watched her walking away, looked at his ship, and back to her. He started after her.
Edited by KeatsLocksley
Ah. Cliffhanger. We meet once again.
beer-universe.com/images/articles/298/ice-cube.jpg
Great, looking forward to seeing this bloom.
2395916
I'm glad to see you're still enjoying it!
Your first comment had me a little anxious about not being able to live up to your expectations.
Next up: everypony in Ponyville freaks out over Simon
2396918
I was gonna have Ponyville explode the moment he walked into it, but I might go with some variation on your idea instead.
Write som'ore already.
2687981
I beg your patience. I've got three chapters in the works which I want to publish together. It might take some time yet, as I've got some big assignments and midterms and things, but then again, I often surprise myself to find that I finish a chapter without really noticing.
Have a preview:
PS:
I think I've achieved more than I ever thought I would with this story already:
I made Admari "tear up" on the second chapter
I got a "this"
I got a "MOAR"
I got the author of a Human in Equestria story with 1000+ likes to ask me to hurry up
I've made friends through this story.
It's thing like this that make me keep writing the story.
They say you have to write for yourself, but I prefer Kurt Vonnegut's advice:
On one level (there are many levels), this story is just my attempt at explaining my personal headcanon to the reader, using Simon as a voice (figuratively) to put that headcannon into human terms. I know my own headcanon, so I'm trying to let one person in on how I interpret the show.
That's why I'm glad to see you're so interested!
2689393 Damn, son. Am I that one person? That is pretty cool. Thanks for the watch btw. And hey, nothing wrong with the headcanon thing. A lot of stories are written for that. I know I slip as much of my headcanon as possible into mine.
What can I say? I like this story. I'm gald you had me read it.
This story has been reviewed by: The Equestrian Critics Society
Story title: Last
Author: Alan Smithee
Review by: BronyWriter
A human in Equestria story that suffers from being far too vague. Its plot doesn’t make much sense, as we are given next to no details about what is going on. On top of that, it suffers from serious show vs tell issues. Poor formatting and clunky dialogue complete the picture, making this one a difficult read. Having said that... if you’re going to read any part of this story, read chapter two. It’s actually pretty well-written and interesting.
Full review
Final Score: 3.5/10
2769009
Well screw those guys. They simply don't know what the writer is trying to do here.
There is a technique involving sparse details then allowing the reader to fill in the rest. This is what I think he was doing here. I will not lie, the continuity was sometimes difficult to follow and that sabotaged the writing a little bit but it deserves a far better rating than what was given.
Also, MOAR!!!
2831279
That's from the author.
2832514
Notice how I didn't refute the point that was made? The gaps in the writing are a bit too large and it does sabotage things a bit. The writing technique he was trying to use is really tricky and its difficult to achieve the correct balance. I didn't think the dialogue was particularly bad. The plot made sense, it just isn't put together right, like a Lego set where some of the pieces are missing or in the wrong place. Finally the show vs tell is yet again something notoriously difficult to master for a beginning author. (I've even read published work that had issues with it)
Basically my entire point is that the reviewers fail to see the story that could be with a few minor tweaks and some extra work here and there.
Compared to some of the things on this site, this story is written like Shakespeare. I give it at least a 5.5/10 It needs some work but I can defiantly see what the author was attempting to achieve.
As for the author agreeing with the criticism, yet again the point that was made is valid and isn't everyone their own toughest critic?
2833061 1. I'm the only reviewer of this story from the ECS.
2. Stories should only get so many points for what could have been with some work and I did give some points for that. The story that could be is almost incidental when compared with the story that is. He asked me to review the latter. It's not that I don't see what the story could be with a lot of work, it's that it doesn't matter as much as what he put out. Should it? Should what he was trying to write be more important than what he did write? I reviewed what he did write.
It's nothing against the author. I know he tried and nobody is perfect fro their first time out. But he asked me to give an honest, blunt review to the story that he wrote and I did. I can't review the story he tried to write, and I can't give him much credit for trying. I gave him some, and don't say that I didn't because I did.
2833169
Wow sorry for basically calling you a jerk in that first post. Anyway you are right, the story that is beats out the story that could be. I apologize for jumping to conclusions, I just get a little crazy when I see something like this, that could be great with only minor fixes, getting brutally picked apart. And if he asked you for the critisism that is a totally different ball game.
2833284 You're all good. It takes a good breed of person that can apologize when he's wrong. No hard feelings between the two of us at all. Good sir or ma'am.
2833297>>2833284
I want to point out that BronyWriter was just fulfilling his obligations to the ECS, and while I appreciate you standing up for me, Radon, by refuting some of his points, I don't want BW to feel harassed for just doing his job.
Yes I found the review disheartening. But I was also pleased to get it since few people are willing/able to give me any serious, negative criticism.
This story was in the planning stage from November to January. It's an attempt at a highly academic interpretation of the My Little Pony universe, using a story that's far more intertwined with the canon storyline of the TV show than most HiE fics dare attempt (Rorschach in Equestria being the exception that inspired me to attempt it. You should go read it.)
I went into it knowing it was going to be an ambitious undertaking, and even with all my preparation, the roadblocks presented have been staggering, which is why the story is unfortunately in the ninth circle of development hell.
Being in school to become a professional programmer has helped me understand the concept that most specialized professions require a set of basic skillz. To be a good programmer, you need to be able to implement some behaviour in a programming language. To be a good Smash Bros. Player, you need to know how to wave-dash (I spent the weekend doing nothing but playing Smash and watching Equestria Girls with a former roomate of mine in Toronto who turned brony two weeks ago). To be a good writer you have to be able to describe any given situation in easy, expressive language. I've never trained to be a writer. Like Kilgore Trout of Kurt Vonnegut's novels (You should read those, too), however good my ideas are, they suffer from my ability to actually put them down in words. I like to imagine John Cage first had to learn how to write normal music before he made a career of writing music with no notes in it.
In the end, I'm writing for me, and those who want me to write, to see what becomes of Simon. Writing this has been therapeutic for me. I don't see why a little negative feedback would change that.
TL;DR: "Girls, girls! You're both pretty!"
2832514
I was also the one who said "you smell bad", though that was supposed to be a jocular sentiment.
2837782
Oh I know the feeling! I even ask in the author's notes at the end of every chapter and I still barely get anything, much less anything I can use.